Marcus Lattimore hoping to follow Willis McGahee's path with draft

27 posts in this topic

This article is a few weeks old I was looking for some updates on Lattimore and came across this

Q:Do you see the Broncos reaching for Marcus Lattimore in the third round or maybe even sooner? He seems like the high-risk, high-reward back that could really make a difference if/when healthy.

A:Matt, the Broncos and every other team in the league will have to put in a lot of time on Lattimore before making any decisions about the South Carolina running back.

Lattimore has often had his draft status compared to that of current Broncos running back Willis McGahee when McGahee entered the 2003 draft after tearing three ligaments in his left knee in his final college game at the University of Miami.

The Bills, after McGahee did a limited workout before the '03 draft, selected McGahee with the 23rd pick that year. Then Bills general manager Tom Donahoe, who had been the Steelers general manager before his tenure in Buffalo, simply decided the risk of the first-round pick was worth the potential reward

.

Lattimore has consistently said his recovery is going well. His surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, has said publicly that people will be "shocked" by what Lattimore will be able to do when he does return to football.

When asked if McGahee's NFL career gives him hope, Lattimore said he has spoken to McGahee. Lattimore said:

"As you know, he had a similar injury, pretty much the same kind of injury. He's helped me a lot. Guys always bring that up when I come in there and talk to them. Willis came back from it, Frank Gore — (a) bunch of guys. He's a guy that worked hard. That's what I'm going to do, and trust in God. I haven't talked to (McGahee) lately, but I've talked to him a bunch of times. He just tells me, 'Keep grinding. Keep doing what you're doing. Trust in God. You're going to be fine. You'll come back from it.'"

In asking team people at the combine, the earliest anyone said they would take Lattimore was the third round. But the majority of people said they saw him at this point somewhere between the late third and the fifth rounds depending on what they find in some additional pre-draft exams. The Broncos certainly want to take a long look at running backs, but they would also be looking for one to contribute in the upcoming season.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

A true high charachter guy and a spectacular back...I'm almost certain he'll be an impact starter in the nfl at some point. I see him going to a well off team that is willing to be patient. He's most certainly high reward and I don't believe it's high risk. Its simply a delayed timeframe.